Video streaming, data streaming, and broadband digital broadcast programming are increasing in popularity in wireless network applications. As such, wireless data packets may be sent to multiple receivers (e.g. network enabled mobile devices) at the same time, which is referred to as multicasting or data casting. Currently, systems such as WLAN, digital video broadcast (DVB) systems and digital audio broadcast (DAB) systems can be used to transfer multicast data. In the future, UMTS or GPRS networks may also have the capability of supporting IP multicasting.
When a network enabled mobile device receives multicast data (e.g. IP datagrams) as part of a broadcast service, it must resolve the datagrams with associated logical parameters as well as link layer and/or physical layer parameters for the logical parameters. For example, it may need to associate datagrams for one or more IP addresses with a single logical identifier (e.g. a broadcast channel) and the logical identifier with link layer parameters. As part of handover of a mobile device receiving a particular multicast, the mobile device must generally resolve these parameters again. The time consumed for resolving these parameters during handover may increase latency, waste CPU time, and result in significant packet loss.
What is needed is a system and method for reducing the need to resolve datagrams to logical identifiers and logical identifiers to link and/or physical layer parameters during handoff of a network enabled mobile device receiving multicast data.